Thoughts from a Part-Core Gamer

A Weekend in Neverwinter

It was an interesting weekend, if a little lonely (my wife is still away). My Saturday was mostly spent at a volunteer activity I’ll be doing once a month until they no longer want me. The public library has a “Friends of the Library” board I’ve just joined, and every second Saturday of a month, they have a huge used book sale. I spent several hours there helping straighten and stock shelves, direct customers, and help people out with their purchases. Since I worked at Barnes & Noble for several years when I was younger, it was all second nature to me. Like riding a bike, it all came back. Luckily, I’m just a volunteer, so the “customers” are a lot more friendly and polite than they have been in the past when I was an “employee,” so overall the experience was very enjoyable.

Sunday I spent playing Neverwinter – almost all day. I plowed past where my previous character had ended. I’m still really enjoying the game; the dungeons are challenging without being too difficult for free-to-play strangers. I like the solo experience, particularly the companion options. I like the leveling, so far both with the pace and challenge. I don’t have too much to complain about, really.

In fact, my only complaint is with a voluntary activity (so the response “just don’t do it” is perfectly fair and reasonable). Since I last played, the game added an outside browser game that would help you level up your companions. In it, you “explore” various locales and experience various “challenges” that are settled with essentiallyrandom die rolls. You all know how I feel about random outcomes, and it applies to this as well. Some of the challenges require that you roll the equivalent of a 6 on five of six dice. You don’t have to roll them all at once, but any time you miss completely, you lose a die. The probability of that is, of course, rather small, and I don’t like wasting my time rolling dice to see if I get lucky. So I don’t; it’s voluntary, after all.

So far, I’ve enjoyed everything else. I don’t feel like it pushes any kind of payment plan, nor that leveling is too hard without some kind of experience boost (like in Allods). The characters are diverse and have enough divergent opportunities, and the stories have been largely entertaining. So if you’re itching for a new game to try out, give Neverwinter a try. I can personally guarantee at least the first 30 levels are entertaining.

Bleh, stupid forgetfulness. Meant to add that I miss the old D&D games. Haven’t played in many years. Is it based on a pen and paper rule set like the old games were, or does it do something different?